2009 Lone Star Regional New Venue

[LSevcik]

Just wanted to let all of you know that the Lone Star Regional will be held at an awesome new venue. The regional will be at the George R. Brown Convention Center. It will be held on the 3rd level in the hall that has telescopic seating. The venue is huge and facility is beautiful.

The greatest attraction for this venue is the Discovery Green Park across the street. The park has 12 acres and tons of activities for everyone. For info on the park go to http://www.discoverygreen.com/ The convention center is also located next to the baseball stadium and the basketball stadium.

For all that is interested the Lone Star Regional will be a 5th week event. The Houston committee is coordinating with Dallas and New Orleans so that regionals aren't on the same weekends. There will be more information forthcoming on the Lone Star Regional web site.

The Houston Planning Committee is very excited about this new venue.

[Kevin Sevcik]

For a little added information, here's the link the to George R Brown. It's also close to The Park Shops (really, it's a mall) and is a few blocks from the rail line. There's a fair bit to do around downtown and down towards the museum district, as well. I think the best part will probably be the huge space we'll have to work in, though.

[JaneYoung]

Will we have access to stores like Home Depot or Lowe's? You know the stores where we go when we break our robots? Those stores? - not that we ever break our robots.

[Kevin Sevcik]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

Will we have access to stores like Home Depot or Lowe's? You know the stores where we go when we break our robots? Those stores? - not that we ever break our robots.

Lowes and Home Depot are 15 minutes away. There's an Ace Hardware about 10 minutes away and a Grainger 5 minutes away. I'd recommend getting a Grainger catalog as they usually have just about anything you'll need short of PVC, aluminum, etc. Radio Shack is similarly about 5 minutes or a brisk walk downtown away. Finally, there's Olshan's Lumber (plus lots of other stuff) and Montalbano Lumber (ditto) both about 5-10 minutes away. So you might have to venture a bit outside of the usual Lowe's/Home Depot runs, but I think we're fairly well covered from robot repair suppliers. Though, admittedly, walking across the parking lot to the Tractor Supply this year was pretty darn convenient.

[Pavan Dave]

Originally Posted by LSevcik

Just wanted to let all of you know that the Lone Star Regional will be held at an awesome new venue. The regional will be at the George R. Brown Convention Center. It will be held on the 3rd level in the hall that has telescopic seating. The venue is huge and facility is beautiful.

The greatest attraction for this venue is the Discovery Green Park across the street. The park has 12 acres and tons of activities for everyone. For info on the park go to http://www.discoverygreen.com/ The convention center is also located next to the baseball stadium and the basketball stadium.

For all that is interested the Lone Star Regional will be a 5th week event. The Houston committee is coordinating with Dallas and New Orleans so that regionals aren't on the same weekends. There will be more information forthcoming on the Lone Star Regional web site.

The Houston Planning Committee is very excited about this new venue.

You rock Lucia! For some more information, the Park is brand new and just opened a few weeks ago. Here is a picture.
http://www.discoverygreen.com/attach...ZW2L6901_8.jpg

The venue is located here.
Home Depots are located here. A, D, or J would be your best bets.
Lowes are located here. A, D, or F would be your best bets.
RadioShacks located here. A, B, or C would be your best bets.

[Pjohn1959]

It is my understanding that there will be enough room in the pits that the teams will be laid out 2x2 so that everyone will have a corner, and each pit size will be 20' x 20', not the usual 10' x 10'. This should make for easier movement within the pits. As you know, everything is bigger in TEXAS.

Thanks Lucia.

[Tazlikesrobots]

Wow. great news!

[lynca]

Wow, with enough success and possibly another nearby stadium (minute maid or toyota) you could have enough space for Championship !

Any guess on the team limit ? 70 -80 ... 355 ?

[Pjohn1959]

I think that with the muliple levels available, each with its own drive up load-in capability, that the GRB could hold the ENTIRE Championships in the one building.

[Kevin Sevcik]

Originally Posted by Pjohn1959

I think that with the muliple levels available, each with its own drive up load-in capability, that the GRB could hold the ENTIRE Championships in the one building.

Shhhhh.... That's a secret. We don't want anyone to know that the GRB could host the Championship event with separated division fields for less audio spillover, plus tons of pit space, plus an easy commute from pits to field, with everything in one air conditioned building and no worries about taking your concession food from the pits to the stands and vice-versa, and....

Realistically, though, the big challenge for that to happen would probably be seating etc. around the Einstein field and/or the divisional fields. I'm doubting there's telescoping seating everywhere in the GRB, so we'd have rent it and bring it in separately. I think the AV system would end up more spread out as well, which would be a bit of a challenge. But as Atlanta's contract is running out soon, it's definitely something to be kept in mind.

Plus, how cool would it be if they had Einstein on the floor of the Toyota Center? I mean, granted it would assume the Rockets wouldn't make the playoffs, but still....

[midway78224]

this is great news and we r looking forward to coming back to lone star but does anyone know if lone star and the oklahoma regional will be on the same week last this yr. we r really hoping its not cuz we like to go to lone star, dallas and oklahoma if possible

[Pavan Dave]

Originally Posted by midway78224

this is great news and we r looking forward to coming back to lone star but does anyone know if lone star and the oklahoma regional will be on the same week last this yr. we r really hoping its not cuz we like to go to lone star, dallas and oklahoma if possible

Lucia already answered that:

Originally Posted by LSevcik

The Houston committee is coordinating with Dallas and New Orleans so that regionals aren't on the same weekends.

[ADHDassassin]

That's great news. I love that we are going to have this awesome new space and especially in the GRB convention Center. I loved having Lone Star in Reliant and seeing how many teams would come to compete. I hope we can get back to the same or more teams that we had prior to this year, after a fun, but a little cramped experience in Katy I can't wait to have the room that a full size convention center allows.

[CyberWolf_22]

The 5th week should be the 26th - 28th.

With all the space in GRB I think we need to make it our goal to get people not involved in FIRST to come in and watch the competition.

It was difficult in Reliant because you did not have people just walking around outside but with GRB right in the middle of downtown we should be able to attract a larger non-FIRST audience. If we set up demos of all the Houston Robotics Competitions (FLL and others) in the lobby area spectators can see all that Houston and Texas is doing to get students interested in Robotics and Technology.

I can't wait till Lone Star '09 it is going to be one of the best yet.